Area residents still feeling effects of Tuesday's storm

Thursday

Feb 28, 2013 at 12:01 AMFeb 28, 2013 at 10:58 AM

Area residents still feeling effects of Tuesday's storm

Edward Lang, Managing Editor

Within a week, about two feet of snow has blanketed the Boonville area. Road crews have been out in force since last Thursday making sure all roads were clear and remain clear. This last winter storm, which hit in the early hours of Tuesday, brought a punch of heavy snow. This heavy snow caused problems around the area.The main issue with the heavy snow was the ability of it to weigh down trees and power lines, causing them to snap. Crews from CoMo Electric and Ameren Missouri were out restoring power throughout the day."We expect to have a very productive day today and restore power to a lot of our members. Our goal is roughly half of those currently out, if everything goes well," CoMo Electric CEO and General Manager Ken Johnson said in a news release. "That said, the damage from this storm is so widespread that we do not believe we'll have service to restored to all our members by the end of the night." Johnson said all members currently without power should plan to be without electricity for a longer period of time. Crews from other cooperatives are assisting with restoring power as well.As of Wednesday morning 133 Ameren Missouri customers were without electricity in Boonville. There were over 2,000 people without power in the county. Reports stated Tuesday that much of Howard County was without electricity. In Boonville, there were 79 emergency calls reported Tuesday. Boonville Police Chief Bobby Welliver could only explain the day was very busy. "I would like to thank everyone who stayed in yesterday. It sure made things easier on us. I think the street crews did a great job of keeping the roads open so we could answer calls," Welliver said.Welliver said a large limb fell on a vehicle located at the 500 Block of Parkway Drive and a branch fell onto a Boonville police patrol vehicle causing major damage. The officer was treated and released by the University Hospital.The heaviness of the snow also caused a portion of a structure at Davis's Muffler Shop to fall. Director of Boonville Public Works M.L. Cauthon said things went generally very well. He said crews worked 12 hour shifts to clear the roads."Early, we had to deal with trees, which set us back," Cauthon said.Cauthon said they were able to catch up and were in constant contact with Ameren about downed lines."Having no people driving on the streets helped out tremendously," Cauthon said. Cooper County Emergency Operational Center Director Tom White said the agency transported 15 adults, 11 children and a dog to safe locations, which included places around the county. White said Ashley Manor opened their doors for individuals seeking shelter."I want to thank Ashley Manor for opening up for these individuals in need," White said. White added they were taking care of people on a case by case basis.The forecast for the rest of the week calls for temperatures to remain around the freezing mark with a small chance of snow Friday.

Sister Publication

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
Boonville Daily News - Boonville, MO ~ 412 High St. Boonville, MO 65233 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service